Liposuction Recovery Tips

Liposuction Recovery Tips : Sculpting and slimming your physique seems like an excellent idea until you are in the middle of recovery and develop a complication. Recovery takes a few days for tumescent liposuction and up to a month for standard (traditional) liposuction.

Most patients experience moderate discomfort the first week or two after surgery, but the pain gradually reduces in the subsequent weeks. How seamless the recovery period gets depends on how perfectly you follow the surgeon’s instructions.

Here are liposuction recovery tips that can smoothen the bumpy ride to wellness.

Make Preparations for Your Recovery Room Before Going for Surgery

After surgery, you will have a more limited ability to do much. Simple activities like grooming become much more difficult, if not impossible. Prepare a room with all the necessities available. Ensure the room is near a bathroom for easy and quick access.

Have a comfortable bed with clean beddings, pillows, and other essentials spread out
Have side tables for storing your phone, clock, books, magazines, and water
Install an entertainment unit to keep you busy during the first few days
Stock water and other healthy hydrating options in your recovery room

Capitalize on Resting

Although liposuction does not have extensive incisions, it is still an invasive procedure. Therefore, it takes time to heal. You will be sore the first 48 hours after surgery. Expect to have swelling, redness, bruising, and bleeding as well. Prescribed pain medication will help you lessen the discomfort during this period.

However, the medication can only do so much for your sore muscles and inflamed tissues. Get plenty of rest during this period and have a designated helper to help you with moving, grooming, and other activities associated with daily living.

Avoid doing any strenuous tasks. High-intensity activity can prolong the discomfort by exacerbating the pain. They also interfere with scar tissue formation. Schedule a week or two of the recovery period for complete rest and recuperation.

Incorporate Walks into Your Schedule

While you should spend plenty of time resting, lying on your back for long periods interferes with the efficiency of your blood circulation to the lower extremities. Blood clots and edema form on the legs and hands because blood remains stagnant in these regions.

Since you cannot strain your body by exercising, you can engage in walking to keep your blood moving. Walking also reduces swelling and can help speed the recovery process along. Just remember not to overexert yourself.

Avoid Smoking

One of the essential liposuction recovery tips is saying no to cigarettes. The nicotine in cigarettes, cigars, or e-cigarettes interferes with blood circulation.

Poor blood circulation means your wounds do not get oxygen, clotting factors, and nutrients to facilitate wound healing.

Avoid smoking several months prior to the surgery and throughout the recovery period.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

Food provides the nutrients your body needs to quicken wound healing, reduce inflammation, increase cellular turnover for scar tissue formation, and fight infection. Eat foods rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and roughage, like fruits and vegetables.

Do not forget to hydrate. The body loses plenty of water after liposuction. Therefore, hydrating with water and other healthy beverages during recovery is among the most essential liposuction recovery tips.

FAQs

How Much Recovery Time Do You Need After a Liposuction?

You need at least a week or two before returning to work and about four to six weeks before resuming exercising.

The first two weeks are crucial. Therefore, you should have plenty of rest during this period. Take occasional walks around the house to help with circulation. Before going back to your exercising routine, consult your surgeon. Let them give you the green light before embarking on high-intensity workouts.

Will I Still Be Swollen Two Weeks After the Procedure?

Swelling can persist for months after liposuction. However, the majority of the swelling disappears within the first couple of weeks. Liposuction produces a build-up of lymphatic fluids, which cause hardness. The firmness subsides gradually but will take months to go away completely. You can use your compression garments to help reduce firmness.

How Painful Is a Lipo?

Pain varies between individuals and the type of procedure. For instance, with tumescent liposuction, the operation is performed without general anesthesia. Instead, local anesthesia gets applied at the surgical site, making the recovery period only a few days.

On the other hand, standard liposuction takes several weeks for complete recovery. Pain killers help to manage the discomfort in the first few days after surgery. The aches should become manageable afterward.

How Long After Surgery Can I Shower

Avoid showers the first two weeks post-surgery. In the first 24 to 48 hours, sponge bathing is okay. Do not remove the wound dressing during this period. Consult your surgeon when it is okay to remove the wraps. After removing the wound dressing, pat the incisions dry.